Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fabulous Dancer - Incredible Value, October 20, 2003
By A Customer
First in what I hope to be a series of instructional videos from the producers of the Bellydance Superstars show, this is a great set from a fabulous dancer. Three separate DVDs cover beginning, intermediate, and advanced moves and choreography. The choreographies cover classic style dancing, the more "pop" moves, and an earthy, folkloric style, so you really get a good sample of what modern bellydance looks and feels like.
Each DVD begins with a short series of stretches, although she cautions you do an aerobic warm-up for about 20 minutes before you begin to stretch.
On each DVD, different moves are taught, from the most basic hip circles on Vol. 1 to the more complicated Arabic Twist and spins on Vol. 3. Beginners or people with no previous dance training will have no trouble following these movements. Jillina demonstrates each move slowly and in exaggerated fashion, so it's easy for you to see the shape, gradually bringing it down so it's smaller and more subtle, while speeding it up to its full time tempo. She repeats the movements several times so you don't have to keep rewinding. Unlike some "instructional" videos, Jillina actually describes and explains each move and the muscles driving it, so you don't just have to watch her and play follow the leader.
The next section is combinations, where she puts together the moves you just learned into short (on the beginning DVD) or longer (on the Advanced) combinations which you can incorporate into your own dances. The combinations you learn in this section will be put together in the next section, where she teaches a different choreography on each DVD. She is a thorough teacher, and explains and demonstrates each move and combination a number of times, so it is very easy to learn the choreography.
Each DVD ends with a performance by Jillina, in full costume, of the choreography you just learned, with a few additions and modifications.
I don't know that advanced dancers would learn any "new" moves from her, but they will definitely benefit from seeing the different combinations, and her choreographies are fun and easily modified to fit different music. Jillina's style is very energetic, and she interprets the music in a way that is different than most dancers of "classical" Egyptian dance. The price is so reasonable that if you only invest in this DVD to check out Jillina's personal dancing style, you still won't be disappointed.
Production Quality: Excellent
Jillina teaches with her back to the camera, in front of a large angled mirror, so you can see both her front and back at all times. The set is pleasantly decorated and the music is loud enough to dance to, but not loud enough to overpower her voice. There is no bizarre camera work. The camera angle will change depending on the focus of the movement, but for the most part her entire is body is shown, and the angle changes are not jarring or distracting.
Jillina is dressed in a matching hip scarf and choli-type blouse, and you can clearly see her stomach and legs. Since she teaches in front of a mirror, you can see just about all of the angles of her body. She stands out well against the backdrop, and the set itself is well-lit, unlike many videos, where you end up with eyestrain after watching!
Another nice addition is in the credits, which list the music used in each section. Also a plus is that there is no extraneous advertising at the beginning of the DVD, so you donÕt have to sit through five minutes of ads before the instructional part.
Price: Better than Excellent
Typical good-quality bellydance instructional videos are priced at around $45-$55 EACH. This set gives you 3 well-produced DVDs for that price. This boxed set is less than the price of a standard workshop, and you get about the same amount of instruction and choreography time. I hope to see more productions of this quality from the Bellydance Superstars team in the future.
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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The One to Buy, November 10, 2003
Belly dance videos/dvds are usually expensive and, thinking you're getting a dvd that's going to help you learn the dance, you end up with an exercise aid instead. If you're looking to exercise using belly dance movements, I can recommend none higher than Rania's Exotic Belly Dance Workout; however, if you're looking to practice dance, you must buy Jillina's Instructional Bellydance dvd set. The price is excellent - three dvd's for the usual cost of one. The set has three dvds: Levels One, Two and Three. Beginners can easily follow and intermediate and advanced students won't be disappointed either. Jillina teaches you movements - she does not play "monkey see - monkey do." Her clear, concise instruction includes the movements, which muscles are being used, and proper posture starting with a slow, exaggerated example moving up to tempo. There are sufficient repetitions that allow you to repeat and practice instead of rewinding. The music, modern Egyptian pop, is current, loud enough to hear, but not too overwhelming and does not prevent you from hearing the instruction. The song titles are also listed in the credits with the artists' names - very helpful. Jillina wears a matching choli, exercise pants, and short hip scarf so you can see her body move. The ability to see her is aided by the excellent camera angles and the full-wall mirror. There is no guess-work here. Finally, seeing Jillina's superlative preformance of the dance you've just learned is the best. If you're not a beginner, this is still the set to buy. At all levels of this dvd, Jillina give excellent instruction of basic technique and then she proceeds to teach combinations using that technique. The combinations are then used in the choreogrphy section. I find these sections of the dvds most helpful; as you see how she combines movements and then uses the combination to choreograph a dance, it allows you to use that knowledge to create your own choreography - most helpful. I highly recommend this dvd set to belly dancers of all levels - it is my best ever purchase for home practice.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great videos, but not the best for brand new beginners, February 6, 2004
By A Customer
I think Jillina is the best BD in the world. However, this is not the best video for brand new beginners. She doesn't spend much time on each move. So it would be hard for anyone to learn if they haven't seen the moves before. It would be great for some one who has already taken a beginners class or has other beginners videos. I consider it more a chorography video than instructional. Her performances at the end are wonderful!
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